The Fall Home Maintenance Checklist 🍂🏠✅

Cooler days are here, which makes fall a good time to give your home a little attention before winter arrives. No long home-improvement project list required. A few checks now can help prevent inconvenient and potentially expensive surprises later.

Save this list, pick a nice fall weekend and start checking things off.

Outside the House

☐ Clean the gutters and downspouts. Clear out leaves, sticks and debris so rain and melting snow have somewhere to go. Make sure downspouts direct water away from the foundation.

☐ Take a look at the roof. From the ground, look for missing or damaged shingles, loose flashing or anything else that seems out of place. Leave climbing on the roof to someone who can do it safely.

☐ Check trees and branches. Look for dead, damaged or low-hanging branches, especially those near your house, garage, driveway or power lines. Contact a professional for anything large or near utility lines.

☐ Inspect steps, sidewalks and railings. Fix loose railings, uneven pavers and other trip hazards before snow and ice make them harder to see.

☐ Check exterior lighting. Replace burned-out bulbs and make sure entrances, steps and walkways are well lit as the days get shorter.

☐ Put away summer gear. Clean and store outdoor furniture, garden tools, hoses and other warm-weather items you won’t need until spring.

Keep the Cold Out

☐ Check weatherstripping. Look around exterior doors and windows for gaps or worn weatherstripping. Replacing it is a relatively easy way to keep cold air outside where it belongs.

☐ Check for drafts. Feel around windows, doors and other openings on a cool or windy day. Seal obvious gaps where appropriate.

☐ Reverse ceiling fans. If your fan has a reverse setting, switch it so it runs clockwise at a low speed during colder months. This can help circulate warm air that collects near the ceiling.

Heating & Safety

☐ Change the HVAC filter. A fresh filter helps your heating system operate efficiently. Check the filter size and your system manufacturer’s recommendations for replacement frequency.

☐ Test the heat before you really need it. Turn on the furnace or heating system before the first truly cold day. If something doesn’t sound, smell or work right, you’ll have time to address it before temperatures drop.

☐ Test smoke alarms. Press the test button on each alarm and replace batteries when needed. Replace the alarm itself according to the manufacturer’s recommended lifespan.

☐ Check carbon monoxide alarms. Test these, too, and make sure you have working alarms in the locations recommended for your home.

☐ Have fireplaces and chimneys checked. If you use a wood-burning fireplace, make sure the chimney and fireplace are ready for the season before the first fire.

Before the First Freeze

☐ Disconnect garden hoses. Drain and store hoses before freezing temperatures arrive.

☐ Prepare outdoor faucets. Shut off and drain exterior water lines if your home is equipped for it, and winterize outdoor faucets as appropriate.

☐ Winterize irrigation systems. If you have an irrigation or sprinkler system, follow the manufacturer’s winterization instructions or schedule professional service.

☐ Know where your main water shutoff is. If a pipe ever freezes or bursts, you don’t want that to be the moment you start looking for it.

☐ Prepare outdoor equipment. Get the snow shovel, ice melt and other winter supplies out before you need them. If you use a snow blower, make sure it’s ready to go.

One Last Check

☐ Stock a few winter basics. Flashlights, batteries, blankets and basic emergency supplies are worth having on hand before winter weather arrives.

☐ Take a quick walk around your home. Look for anything that seems loose, cracked, leaking or out of place. You know your home best, and sometimes a five-minute walk-around catches something that didn’t make the checklist.

Done? Enjoy Fall.

You don’t have to tackle everything at once. Pick a few tasks each weekend and work your way down the list.

A little maintenance now means fewer things to worry about when the temperature drops. Then you can get back to the more enjoyable parts of fall: crisp evenings, changing leaves and maybe a little less yard work once those leaves finally stop falling.